{"id":177,"date":"2024-10-10T04:45:52","date_gmt":"2024-10-10T04:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/local-seo-for-pest-control-companies\/"},"modified":"2024-10-10T04:45:52","modified_gmt":"2024-10-10T04:45:52","slug":"local-seo-for-pest-control-companies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/local-seo-for-pest-control-companies\/","title":{"rendered":"Local SEO for Pest Control Companies"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having a digital marketing strategy is already a given for most pest control companies. But we want to make sure you\u2019re including local SEO in your lineup and doing it the right way. Many business owners or SEO specialists new to the local side of search will often get tripped up when developing their understanding of it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This guide will offer a brief synopsis of what local SEO is and go over some best practices to get you started in the right direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s what\u2019s on the docket today:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why local SEO?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local SEO Basics<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Business Profile<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Website Optimizations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Link Building<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Why Local SEO?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">SEO, in its most general sense, is all about meeting customers where they\u2019re at. The goal is to develop steady visibility. Much like a restaurant trying to get on the corner of the best crossroads possible, SEO is the act of positioning yourself where there\u2019s already high traffic to capture leads that already want your services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In local SEO, the \u201ccrossroads\u201d you\u2019re looking for are the top positions of local-specific SERPs (search engine results pages), with Google Maps being your primary driver for lead generation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, why should you implement this kind of strategy? I won\u2019t bore you with too many statistics, I believe it\u2019s really easy to get lost in the data. To quote Mark Twain, \u201cThere are three kinds of lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics\u201d. But I do have some numbers to give you a rough idea of what\u2019s out there for the taking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A homeowner, more often than not, isn\u2019t checking the phonebook or physically looking around for a pest control company. They may ask friends for referrals, but even in that case, they\u2019re likely still Googling it on their phone. And the number of people doing that increases every year. In fact, in 2019, local business searches on mobile <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thinkwithgoogle.com\/marketing-strategies\/app-and-mobile\/mobile-search-data-for-stores-open-near-me\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increased by 250%<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123297 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-640x221.png\" alt=\"Google Data Mobile Searches\" width=\"640\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-300x104.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-1024x353.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-768x265.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-1536x530.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-800x276.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-1356x468.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-414x143.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-551x190.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-860x297.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-320x110.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-926x319.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-1200x414.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-640x221.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-348x120.png 348w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-480x166.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-1095x378.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-783x270.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-398x137.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-1566x540.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-796x275.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-696x240.png 696w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-870x300.png 870w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches-435x150.png 435w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Google-Data-mobile-searches.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Considering Google processes about 5.9 million searches every minute (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/topics\/1710\/search-engine-usage\/#topicOverview\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Statista, 2019<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">), an increase like 250% is quite staggering. Additionally, about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/google-46-of-searches-have-local-intent-26529.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">46% of all Google searches have local intent<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Almost half of 5.9 million searches a minute is a big slice of the pie. Let&#8217;s make sure you get a piece of it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might ask, would a paid ads campaign be enough? Those work for local searches, right? While I would certainly encourage you to get a paid ads campaign as well, this will only get you a portion of what you <em>could<\/em> have and it&#8217;ll cost you every time you get a lead. When we bring this to our clients, we tell them that the goal is to own as much real estate on the first page of Google as possible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Consider this SERP for the query \u201cpest control sacramento\u201d:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-123298 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-640x625.png\" alt=\"Pest Control Sacramento\" width=\"640\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-300x293.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-1024x1000.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-768x750.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-800x781.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-414x404.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-551x538.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-860x840.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-320x312.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-926x904.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-640x625.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-123x120.png 123w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-480x469.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-1095x1069.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-783x765.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-398x389.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-796x777.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-246x240.png 246w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-307x300.png 307w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-614x600.png 614w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-573x560.png 573w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento-154x150.png 154w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-Control-Sacramento.png 1106w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is what the majority of queries with local intent will generate. On this SERP we see sponsored ads, Google Guaranteed ads (or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/google-local-services-ads\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Local Service Ads<\/a>), a Local Pack for maps listings, and some locally relevant organic results. Claiming top rankings for the Local Pack and organic listings fall under SEO. That\u2019s two of your four options. Why leave any of them behind?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not everyone takes the time to invest in this kind of strategy. It\u2019s certainly not uncommon, but investing in local SEO will give you a competitive edge over the competitors that neglect their online presence. When multiple pest control companies service the same area, those with a strong local SEO strategy are more likely to attract and retain customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Local SEO Basics<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As explained earlier, we\u2019re trying to position you on that \u201ccrossroads\u201d. But how does that work exactly? For this section, we\u2019ll be talking about the different types of SEO and the unique attributes and ranking factors that go into local SEO.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">The difference between local and traditional SEO<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When people think about SEO, they usually think about traditional SEO and Google\u2019s traditional algorithm. They think about building a website and getting different pages to rank for different keywords. The core of that idea remains important to any form of SEO, but it\u2019s important to understand that Google actually has multiple algorithms designed specifically for different industries.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google knows the average consumer\u2019s search habits differ depending on the product or service they\u2019re looking for. To address that, Google has developed different algorithms to meet the needs of search intent. To see this in action, try looking up a service like &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pest control services<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and then search for a product like<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> &#8220;nike basketball shoes&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Take a look at how different your SERPs looks<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123300 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-640x360.png\" alt=\"Search For Pest Control Services\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1356x763.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-414x233.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-551x310.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-860x484.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-926x521.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-640x360.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-213x120.png 213w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1095x616.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-783x440.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-398x224.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1566x881.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-796x448.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-427x240.png 427w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-533x300.png 533w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-1067x600.png 1067w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-996x560.png 996w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services-267x150.png 267w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-pest-control-services.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123299 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-640x358.png\" alt=\"Search For Nike Basketball Shoes\" width=\"640\" height=\"358\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-300x168.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1024x572.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-768x429.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1536x858.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-800x447.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1356x758.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-414x231.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-551x308.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-860x481.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-320x179.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-926x517.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1200x671.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-640x358.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-215x120.png 215w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-480x268.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1095x612.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-783x438.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-398x222.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1566x875.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-796x445.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-430x240.png 430w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-537x300.png 537w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1074x600.png 1074w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-1002x560.png 1002w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes-268x150.png 268w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Search-for-Nike-basketball-shoes.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very different results, right? The search intent behind each query triggered different algorithms. \u201cpest control services\u201d yielded results related to local service searches. Even the organic results below are localized organic results that wouldn\u2019t show for another city. Meanwhile, \u201cnike basketball shoes\u201d yielded a SERP geared towards e-commerce. What makes you rank for one algorithm doesn\u2019t necessarily succeed in another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How these algorithms work exactly can get complicated. In fact, the most common answer to an SEO question you can get from any specialist is \u201cIt depends\u201d. To make things even more fun, Google doesn\u2019t tell us much about how they work. At least, not in detail. However, through a lot of expert testing, experience, and note-sharing, we do have a good idea of the different ranking factors that go into them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Local Search Ranking Factors<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on data from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/whitespark.ca\/local-search-ranking-factors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2023 Local Search Ranking Factors<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> report from Whitespark, we have a general summary of what factors matter most to Google.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123301 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-640x334.png\" alt=\"Local Ranking Factors\" width=\"640\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1024x534.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-768x400.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1536x801.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-800x417.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1356x707.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-414x216.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-551x287.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-860x448.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-320x167.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-926x483.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1200x626.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-640x334.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-230x120.png 230w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-480x250.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1095x571.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-783x408.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-398x207.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1566x816.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-796x415.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-460x240.png 460w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-576x300.png 576w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1151x600.png 1151w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-1074x560.png 1074w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors-288x150.png 288w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Local-Ranking-Factors.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These percentages are aggregates of various specialists&#8217; experiences and are full of important details and nuance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to remember that no survey results will be perfect. For example, what works for someone else may not work the same for you. What works for you may change based on your specific location, local competition, or industry. It\u2019s also important to note that these percentages don\u2019t tell you how much time you can, or should, dedicate to them, nor how much you can influence each of them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But this does give us a guideline for where to focus our efforts. Today, we\u2019ll overview introductory strategies for some of the more important factors in local rankings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Local Rankings<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately we care about two things:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Local Pack\/Google Maps<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Organic<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You could also track rankings more specifically for things like Mobile and Local Finder as well. Rank tracking tools like BrightLocal\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/local-seo-tools\/rankings\/local-rank-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Rank Tracker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are great for those added details. But those are bonuses.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">The Local Pack and Google Maps<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/local-seo\/introduction-to-local-seo\/google-local-pack\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Local Pack<\/a>, sometimes referred to as the Map Pack or 3 Pack, is that group of businesses that displays in search results for a query with local intent (just like that &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pest control services&#8221; <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">example we went over earlier). There are usually only three Google Maps listings here, but you may have a fourth if there\u2019s a sponsored profile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123302 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-640x360.png\" alt=\"Pest Control Local Pack Screenshot\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1356x763.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-414x233.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-551x310.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-860x484.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-926x521.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-640x360.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-213x120.png 213w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1095x616.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-783x440.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-398x224.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1566x881.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-796x448.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-427x240.png 427w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-533x300.png 533w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-1067x600.png 1067w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-996x560.png 996w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot-267x150.png 267w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Pest-control-local-pack-screenshot.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where we get the most leads, so our goal as local SEO providers is to get into the &#8216;top three&#8217; on the Map Pack for the most visibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to note, though, that ranking top three in one part of the city doesn\u2019t mean you rank that well throughout the whole city. You\u2019ll need a tool to see your average map ranking for the region. I highly recommend using a tool like BrightLocal\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/local-seo-tools\/rankings\/local-search-grid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Search Grid<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> tool. We use it every day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123303 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-640x360.png\" alt=\"Lsg Pest Control Screenshot\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1356x763.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-414x233.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-551x310.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-860x484.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-926x521.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-640x360.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-213x120.png 213w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1095x616.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-783x440.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-398x224.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1566x881.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-796x448.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-427x240.png 427w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-533x300.png 533w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-1067x600.png 1067w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-996x560.png 996w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot-267x150.png 267w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/LSG-pest-control-screenshot.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Local Organic<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While map rankings are the most important focus, we still want to take care of local organic rankings. These are the standard results that are shown below the Map Pack. By comparison, they are more likely to be overlooked by the ready-to-hire decision-makers you\u2019re looking for. But people do still look at them, and you want to capture those leads, too. What\u2019s more, ranking well here can help you rank for the Map Pack.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">And just like local map rankings, your location makes a difference. It\u2019s not as drastic, but you still want to know what your organic rankings are locally. You\u2019re going to want a tool like BrightLocal\u2019s <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/local-seo-tools\/rankings\/local-rank-tracker\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Local Rank Tracker<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to track them.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Google Business Profile<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Those listings you see on Google Maps are called Google Business Profiles (GBP), previously known as Google My Business. A well-optimized GBP is the cornerstone of successful local SEO campaigns. It\u2019s where the majority of pest control calls are made, and that makes it your most valuable asset in this strategy. Setting it up properly and knowing how to manage it is essential.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123304 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-640x363.png\" alt=\"Gbps Shown In Google Maps\" width=\"640\" height=\"363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-300x170.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1024x580.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-768x435.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1536x871.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-800x454.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1356x769.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-414x235.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-551x312.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-860x488.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-320x181.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-926x525.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1200x680.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-640x363.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-212x120.png 212w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-480x272.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1095x621.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-783x444.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-398x226.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1566x888.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-796x451.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-423x240.png 423w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-529x300.png 529w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-1058x600.png 1058w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-988x560.png 988w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps-265x150.png 265w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBPs-shown-in-Google-Maps.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The GBP acts as your digital storefront. It\u2019s the lit-up sign on a restaurant and the inviting ambiance that says \u201cCome on in, the food\u2019s great!\u201d. It\u2019s the first impression customers will have of you, so make it count.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>In this section, we\u2019ll go over the following:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Staying organized<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setup and verification<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essential optimizations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Suspensions\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Posts<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some of the optimizations we\u2019ll discuss will be for rankings, but others serve better as a conversion factor. It\u2019s important to get in front of a consumer, but of course, we want the sale even more.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Staying Organized<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Setting up and managing GBPs can quickly become a serious headache if you don\u2019t have a plan in place for staying organized. The two biggest things you can do for yourself will be:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Determine the email(s) with which you will manage the profile(s).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Establish a single source of information for you and your team to reference.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Email for Managing GBPs<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The best approach, though not required, is to use a Gmail account with a domain-specific email. This will help you avoid headaches later down the road, such as what you might experience when appealing a suspension (we\u2019ll touch on this later). Google wants to see these emails used the most, and I would recommend them as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you manage multiple locations, it may be worth setting up an Agency Dashboard. The benefits of an Agency Dashboard may depend on the number of locations you will be managing, and they\u2019re certainly not for everyone. You can learn more about them <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/blog\/google-my-business-agency-dashboard\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Single Source of Information<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s a host of reasons why you\u2019d want a master list for your information. One example is that Google is notorious for repeatedly making edits to the profile\u2019s services section (something we\u2019ll revisit later in this guide). Having a list can make fixing that section less painful, especially if it&#8217;s a task you want to delegate to someone else. You also don\u2019t want to find yourself in a situation where you or your team can\u2019t remember the logins (more common than you\u2019d think). Losing those may mean repeating the claiming process, which is simply no fun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There\u2019s no one way to set this up. It can be as simple as a spreadsheet and password manager or as demanding as developing software to meet these needs in tandem with others in your company. Whatever method you choose, just make sure you write everything down, and &#8220;future you\u201d will thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Setup and Verification<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you\u2019re ready to get started, you\u2019ll want to check if there is already a listing for your business on Google. If your business is already listed, you can request ownership. If not, you\u2019ll need to build one. In either case, you\u2019ll want to use the email you\u2019ve chosen to manage your profile(s) and log in to <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/business.google.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">business.google.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to begin the process.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Requesting Access\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once you\u2019ve logged in, click \u201cAdd single business.\u201d This should pull up a page like the one below. If you haven\u2019t set one up before, you may be sent to this page automatically.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If your listing already exists, it should appear in the drop-down menu when you type in the business&#8217;s name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123305 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-640x334.png\" alt=\"Building Your Gbp\" width=\"640\" height=\"334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-1024x534.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-768x401.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-800x417.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-1356x707.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-414x216.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-551x287.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-860x449.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-320x167.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-926x483.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-1200x626.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-640x334.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-230x120.png 230w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-480x250.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-1095x571.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-783x408.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-398x208.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-796x415.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-460x240.png 460w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-575x300.png 575w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-1150x600.png 1150w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-1074x560.png 1074w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP-288x150.png 288w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Building-your-GBP.png 1480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, your business will exist on Maps but not show up in this drop-down. This is rare, but if this happens, you\u2019ll want to claim it directly on Maps. To claim the listing here, find and click the link that says \u201cOwn this business?\u201d It\u2019s usually under the address section of the profile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You will likely have to undergo some kind of verification. We\u2019ll touch on some of this later.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Creating a New Profile<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are building a new profile, you\u2019ll use the same tool. But instead of selecting one of the existing options, you\u2019ll simply select the one that says \u201cCreate a business with this name\u201d. Make sure you put in the name of your business as it shows on your website or official documents. Keep it simple.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Primary Category<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The primary category is one of the most important ranking factors for your GBP. There isn\u2019t much you can do with it, but make sure you select the right one. Google wants to know who you are and what service or industry you identify with most before it decides what to do with you. Right now, it\u2019s really easy for pest control. You\u2019ll likely want to select &#8220;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pest control service&#8221;<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as your primary category. Additional categories can be useful, but we\u2019ll cover that later.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123306 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-640x344.png\" alt=\"Gbp Primary Category\" width=\"640\" height=\"344\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-300x161.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-1024x551.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-768x413.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-800x431.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-1356x730.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-414x223.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-551x297.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-860x463.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-320x172.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-926x498.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-1200x646.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-640x344.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-223x120.png 223w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-480x258.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-1095x589.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-783x421.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-398x214.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-796x428.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-446x240.png 446w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-557x300.png 557w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-1115x600.png 1115w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-1041x560.png 1041w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category-279x150.png 279w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-primary-category.png 1442w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Physical Storefront or Service Area Business<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The next thing Google will want to know is whether or not you have a physical location or if you service customers at their homes. Pest control companies may not have a physical location, and that\u2019s fine. You can set up your GBP without an address and just add a service area. If you do have an office, though, then I recommend using it. Both work, but I usually counsel my clients to get a legitimate office. This may come with an upfront cost, but if you research your city properly, it\u2019ll more than pay for itself over time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-related-post left \"  data-ribbon=\"RELATED\">\n<div class=\"inner  \">\n<div class=\"image rp-img-container\" style=\"background:url() no-repeat top center;\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d317jr06u12xtj.cloudfront.net\/2022\/05\/Service-area-Businesses-and-GBP-Teaser.png\" alt=\"How Google Business Profile Works for Service-area Businesses\" class=\"img-respond\" >\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"title h5\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/google-business-profile\/getting-started\/service-area-businesses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n                        How Google Business Profile Works for Service-area Businesses<br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"cta\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/google-business-profile\/getting-started\/service-area-businesses\/\" class=\"button button-std-blue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n                        Read more<br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is worth noting that Google takes verifying the legitimacy of a location very seriously. They\u2019ve created various barriers to entry to make sure people follow their guidelines. Many, including myself, would say Google can be a bit excessive in their approach. But trying too hard to game the system simply isn\u2019t worth it. I strongly recommend you make sure you have a physical location for any GBP you create to avoid unnecessary headaches.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Verification<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Getting verified may be as simple as entering your information, but you\u2019ll most likely be required by Google to take an additional step or two to prove your legitimacy. Google will be the one to decide what options you\u2019re allowed to use, and it won\u2019t always be the same option.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Options you may be presented with include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Video<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Phone<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Email<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Postcard<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Experiences with each verification type may vary. After some updates to the software a little ways back, it\u2019s been my experience that video verification has been both the most effective and most likely option. In many cases when selecting the other options, it&#8217;s common to be asked for additional verification by video anyway. This is also the most demanding option, so I usually recommend my clients plan on this verification method.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Phone Number\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While having multiple profiles with the same number isn\u2019t unheard of, having a unique and local phone number for each profile is better. If you decide to do call tracking, the best practice is to enter the call tracking number as your primary phone number and the actual office number as an additional number. This way you can get the benefits of call tracking while still showing Google that you\u2019re being consistent with the phone number on your website and your citations.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">URL<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your choice of URL can affect both rankings and conversions. If you only have one location, the home page is usually the best URL to put in here. But if you have multiple locations, the best practice is to use a page specific to that location.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">NAP<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Name, Address, and Phone number (or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/local-citations\/nap-data-accuracy\/what-is-nap\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">NAP<\/a> for short) should be consistent with your citations, so make sure your details are accurate. For example, the name of your business should match the name on your website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keyword stuffing is <em>not<\/em> advised. I can\u2019t say I\u2019m not tempted to do it, but Google has become quite aggressive about ensuring that doesn\u2019t happen, and it can result in suspensions. It\u2019s common for Google or even competing SEO specialists to scan batches of profiles at a time for this guideline violation, and suspensions just aren\u2019t worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Services<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use the Services section to make your offering as clear as possible. These don\u2019t show on desktop, but they do on mobile, and that\u2019s where many of the searches will be anyway. Add all your services and don\u2019t forget to add individual descriptions. This can include the types of pests you cover, like ants or roaches, or more general offerings like home pest inspections or crawl space-related services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123308 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-640x408.png\" alt=\"Gbp Services\" width=\"640\" height=\"408\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-300x191.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1024x653.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-768x489.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1536x979.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-800x510.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1356x864.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-414x264.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-551x351.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-860x548.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-320x204.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-926x590.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1200x765.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-640x408.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-188x120.png 188w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-480x306.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1095x698.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-783x499.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-398x254.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1566x998.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-796x507.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-377x240.png 377w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-471x300.png 471w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-941x600.png 941w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-879x560.png 879w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-1757x1120.png 1757w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services-235x150.png 235w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-services.png 2024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also, note that Google loves to edit this section. You may like some of the changes but check them periodically to make sure they&#8217;re accurate and that Google hasn\u2019t started overpromising anything.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Additional Categories\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additional categories are something I consider a \u201cbonus\u201d optimization. This is less useful for my pest control clients, as there are fewer viable options for their industry. However, your specific business model and service offering may change that. For example, companies that also offer &#8220;wildlife control services&#8221; can add that as an additional category.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ultimately, the primary category is what\u2019s really important, but it doesn\u2019t hurt to add more when you can and when it\u2019s relevant.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"shortcode-related-post left \"  data-ribbon=\"RELATED\">\n<div class=\"inner  \">\n<div class=\"image rp-img-container\" style=\"background:url() no-repeat top center;\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/Blog-header-Do-Additional-GBP-Categories-Boost-Local-Rankings-1-564x341.png\" alt=\"Study: Do Additional GBP Categories Boost Local Rankings?\" class=\"img-respond\" >\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"title h5\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/study-do-additional-gbp-categories-boost-local-rankings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n                        Study: Do Additional GBP Categories Boost Local Rankings?<br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/div>\n<p class=\"cta\">\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/study-do-additional-gbp-categories-boost-local-rankings\/\" class=\"button button-std-blue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><br \/>\n                        Read more<br \/>\n                    <\/a>\n                <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Opening Hours<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google gives users the ability to suggest edits to GBPs, and one of the most common uses of that feature is to edit inaccurate hours. Nothing is more frustrating to a potential customer than finding out a business isn\u2019t actually open. It\u2019s one of the more common motivations for leaving a bad review. Considering reviews are such a large ranking factor, accurate hours are important to your rankings as well, even if indirectly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When your business is open can also affect your rankings. You\u2019ll usually rank better when you\u2019re open. There is a lot of research and heated discussion on this topic, so I recommend taking a look at some articles like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/research\/study-business-opening-hours-and-local-rankings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this one<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from BrightLocal to learn more. The short version is that you should focus on the hours being accurate more than on trying to extend your opening hours on your GBP to get more rankings. It\u2019s not going to help you; for example, if customers get angry, then suggest edits to your listing hours and leave bad reviews.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, this doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t find a way to use this to your advantage. A boring solution, but an effective one, would be to extend your operating hours a bit. It doesn\u2019t always have to be about being clever. This may have some implications for your operations, but it\u2019s certainly an option. You could also try having a call center available 24hrs. Currently, this isn\u2019t an option for additional hours, though I\u2019ve never understood why. Your office may be closed, but maybe you\u2019re still available to help your customers in other ways. This approach doesn\u2019t always work out, so you\u2019ll have to test things for yourself. But don\u2019t assume too much about what you can and cannot do. Think outside the box a little.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Photos<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s good to have some official, professional photos that show your team at work, your office, or aspects of your service. Even better than that is getting photos from customers, and doing so consistently. This can increase conversions in a similar way to Google Posts and can bring engagement signals to boot. There are some <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/google-business-profile\/optimization\/photos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guidelines<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and best practices you\u2019ll need to keep in mind though:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Screenshots, stock photos, GIFs, other manually created imagery, or imagery taken by other parties should not be uploaded.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To be relevant, photos or videos must be taken by users at the location in question.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the primary subject of the content is irrelevant to the location, it may be removed.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stylistic adjustments (such as applied filters) are acceptable, provided that these stylistic changes are minimal and aren\u2019t appended elements such as borders, text, collaged images, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content that makes it difficult for others to understand the environment that you\u2019re sharing may be rejected. Examples are excessively dark or blurry images, significantly rotated compositions, and images that use filters to dramatically alter the representation of the place.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Images must be of a sufficient resolution. The exact requirements may vary by photo type and point of upload.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For 360\u00b0 photos, superimposed content must be limited to either the zenith or nadir (top or bottom 25% of the equirectangular image), but can\u2019t be present in both.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For traditional digital photos and videos, superimposed content can\u2019t take up more than 10% of the image or video, and must be limited to a single edge.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Superimposed text or graphics must be relevant.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Distracting superimposed text or graphics aren\u2019t permitted.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Essentially, Google wants these images to give people a good idea of what they\u2019re getting themselves into. To illustrate this idea, I usually give my clients the example of getting a dentist recommendation from a friend. What would you hope to find when you look up their listing for the first time? You\u2019d want to see images of the front desk and lobby area, images of the employees at work, and any other image that builds your trust in the business\u2019s quality and gives you the confidence to know you\u2019re in the right office when you get there.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The same goes for pest control. Some examples you can use include pictures of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technicians at work<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Customers talking with your technician<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your office, including the entrance, lobby, etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Branded truck or van<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Photos of pests you provide services for<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123307 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-640x409.png\" alt=\"Gbp Photos\" width=\"640\" height=\"409\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-300x192.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-1024x655.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-768x491.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-1536x982.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-800x512.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-1356x867.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-414x265.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-551x352.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-860x550.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-320x205.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-926x592.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-1200x767.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-640x409.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-188x120.png 188w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-480x307.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-1095x700.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-783x501.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-398x254.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-1566x1001.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-796x509.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-375x240.png 375w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-469x300.png 469w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-938x600.png 938w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-876x560.png 876w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos-235x150.png 235w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/GBP-photos.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Suspensions<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I&#8217;ve said it before, and I\u2019ll say it again. The GBP is your most valuable asset in a local SEO strategy. Losing a GBP to something like a suspension can have major ramifications for lead volume. It\u2019s the last thing you want, but you should be prepared just in case.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s important to take a preventive approach, but nobody is immune to suspension so it is equally important to be prepared for when it does happen. In fact, it happens to 35% of GBP\u2019s every year. And it\u2019s not always because of a direct violation. In any case, you want to be ready to make an appeal should the need arise.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Appeals<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123309 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-640x235.png\" alt=\"Manage Gbp Appeals\" width=\"640\" height=\"235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-300x110.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1024x376.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-768x282.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1536x564.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-800x294.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1356x498.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-414x152.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-551x202.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-860x316.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-320x118.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-926x340.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1200x441.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-640x235.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-327x120.png 327w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-480x176.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1095x402.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-783x288.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-398x146.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1566x576.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-796x293.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-653x240.png 653w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-816x300.png 816w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-1524x560.png 1524w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals-408x150.png 408w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Manage-GBP-appeals.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As of the most recent software update, you only get two attempts at appeals. To make matters more stressful, the process is timed. Once you begin the appeals process, you will have 60 minutes to upload two or more of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Official Business Registration<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business license<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tax certificate<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Utility bill<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s critical that the business name and address are exactly the same on all documents and your GBP.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would also strongly advise you to gather these documents long before a suspension happens. Appeals and verifications can be quick, but sometimes they can take weeks or even months in more extreme cases to remedy. That\u2019s a long time to go without calls. You want to mitigate risk as much as possible, and the best approach is to prepare ahead of time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m a little biased, but I would also highly recommend having a specialist help you through the appeals process if you can. Especially if it\u2019s for multiple locations. There are a lot of innocent mistakes that can be made in this process and honestly, the software seems to have a new bug every update. Having a specialist on hand can help you avoid common pitfalls and give you the perspective needed to chart a course through any uncharted waters that may present themselves.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/learn\/google-business-profile\/support-common-issues\/suspensions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GBP suspensions<\/a>, you can read this <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">article<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Ben Fisher.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Google Posts<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google Posts are those little posts with images and text at the bottom of a GBP. It\u2019s a tool you should absolutely be using if you have the time, but note that posts don\u2019t really serve you as a ranking factor. This one\u2019s more beneficial for customers and conversions than for the algorithm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I like to think of it as a backstop. Anyone scrolling through your profile who has yet to click the call button or open your website but who hasn\u2019t left either may still be a prime lead. They might just be a little on the fence. Having a post there with a good image to catch their eye and a good offer to nudge them over the decision-making ledge can help you capture leads you may have otherwise lost.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Website Optimizations<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The GBP may be your new home page, but your website is still important. After all, conversions\/sales will happen there too. As for rankings, on-page signals are a major ranking factor for both the Local Pack and Local Organic.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For this section, we\u2019ll be going over:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technical SEO Checklist<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content Strategy<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Technical<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As long as someone on your team is a web development specialist, this is low-hanging fruit. This may differ in other verticals, but in local SEO, it really comes down to following a simple checklist of key qualifications that Google is looking for in a website. I like to think of it as building a resume properly. The content matters most, but structuring it well is what gets the interviewer reading.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google wants to make sure the best content makes it to its users, and measuring user experience is just as important to them as analyzing your content.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This checklist isn\u2019t everything, nor all the various ways you could utilize them. The SEO mantra \u201cit depends\u201d always applies. But as long as you hit these points, you\u2019ll be in a good spot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Important: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When you\u2019re doing technical SEO, make sure that you check your mobile responsiveness, not just desktop responsiveness. It\u2019s a common mistake even relatively experienced specialists make sometimes. Image optimization, for example, may need to be done differently on mobile than on desktop.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Core Web Vitals<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Core Web Vitals are metrics Google uses to measure the real-world user experience of a web page. You can check a variety of different metrics on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pagespeed.web.dev\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pagespeed Insights<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but the three most important are the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This measures loading performance. To provide a good user experience, LCP should occur within 2.5 seconds of when the page first starts loading.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Interaction to Next Paint (INP)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This measures interactivity. To provide a good user experience, pages should have an INP of 200 milliseconds or less.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: This measures visual stability. To provide a good user experience, pages should maintain a CLS of 0.1. or less.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Image Optimization<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Images that are too heavy can easily slow down your site. Using a lighter and more modern format like .webp is ideal, but using minimal-quality images that don\u2019t sacrifice the visual experience will be a good place to start if you\u2019re using .jpeg or .png formats.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Image Alt Text<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t hurt to add keywords, but making it \u201cmake sense\u201d is infinitely more important. Alt text allows tools like screen readers to describe the image to visually impaired users, ensuring they can understand the content of the page.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Headers<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Keep it to one H1 header, not multiple, and ensure it&#8217;s optimized for keywords. After that, it\u2019s good to use keywords or variations of it in your other headers.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Javascript Reduction<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Javascript can be pretty heavy and hinder your page speed. This doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t have Javascript or that it\u2019s going to be the end of the world. But don\u2019t use it unnecessarily. You should try to reduce it where you can.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">URL Structure (Slug)<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Google and its users like it when you have clean and clear URL slugs. The goal here is to keep it short, descriptive, and helpful. Keyword rich is great, but simplicity and clarity are most important. Ask yourself \u201cWould I know what the page was about just by reading the URL?\u201d Some good examples can include something like \/pest-control-savannah or \/locations\/savannah-pest-control.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Meta Data<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019ve done SEO in the past or done any research on it, you\u2019ve probably heard of this already. Super basic, but don\u2019t ignore it. Similar to URL structure, you want things to be clear and helpful. Do this for the Meta Title and Description, and make it unique. Keyword usage is great, but again simplicity is key.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">XML Sitemap Submission<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Submitting an XML sitemap to Google Search Console helps speed up the indexing process and helps the crawlers better understand how your site works. Really, the primary goal of much technical SEO is just guiding the crawlers\u2014simplifying their job, as it were. This does just that.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Redirects<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Managing redirects ensures a seamless user experience and prevents search engines from wasting resources on broken links. Implementing correct redirects ensures users don\u2019t end up on a page with outdated information or similar.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Content Strategy<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of aspects to good content strategy, especially if you want to get into things like topical clustering or content silos. To keep it simple today, we\u2019re going to talk about some guiding principles and give you an example of a structure you can use on a location-specific page (the page whose URL you should be using on the GBP, as we mentioned earlier).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">What kind of content ranks?<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cContent is king\u201d is a phrase that\u2019s thrown around in the SEO community almost as often as \u201cit depends\u201d. And there\u2019s truth to that. But far too many people seem to take that to mean \u201cmore is better\u201d, and that\u2019s simply not the case. While I won\u2019t say it\u2019s \u201cquality, not quantity\u201d we can confidently say it is \u201cquality <\/span><b>over<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> quantity.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-123374 lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example.png\" alt=\"Local Seo Pest Control Portland Content Example\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-800x450.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1356x763.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-414x233.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-551x310.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-860x484.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-320x180.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-926x521.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1200x675.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-640x360.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-213x120.png 213w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-480x270.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1095x616.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-783x440.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-398x224.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1566x881.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-796x448.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-427x240.png 427w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-533x300.png 533w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-1067x600.png 1067w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-996x560.png 996w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example-267x150.png 267w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/local-seo-pest-control-portland-content-example.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It all depends on search intent. The kind of content someone is looking for on a Wikipedia or WebMD page is not the same type of content someone is looking for in a pest control company, bank, or restaurant. Even those last three examples, despite all being under the umbrella of local SEO, wouldn\u2019t be evaluated the same by Google. Especially not once it takes behavioral signals into account. Your primary goal should be to help customers based on search intent. In a strategy for pest control, you should be focusing primarily on serving customers at the bottom of the marketing funnel. Think decision makers, not researchers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I like to think about my experience as a door-to-door sales representative when I teach my team about this. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Years back, when I was knocking on doors and learning how to convince people to sign a service agreement with me, one of the biggest obstacles I had to overcome was my brevity (still working on that, if we\u2019re being honest). <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">People who were actually going to turn into a sale may have one or two questions or objections to resolve, but they\u2019re not looking to go down a rabbit hole to learn everything there is to know about my offering and the topic of pest control. They don\u2019t need to hear me ramble until their eyes glaze over, they need to make a decision. They just need to know if I offer what they need and if they can trust me. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This doesn\u2019t mean all of my pitches were two minutes, but the average time I spent at the door lessened as my pitch improved. More importantly, I learned from painful experience that the ones who were still looking to go that deep into the weeds were usually not going to buy or would cancel over the phone later anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your approach should mimic what sales reps such as myself strived for in a good pitch. Keep it concise and always be selling (we\u2019ll address call-to-actions later). Again, this doesn\u2019t necessarily mean short. But it should be deliberate and no longer than necessary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s also worth noting that this is important for conversions, not just rankings. You want people to actually buy from you, not just see your website. And that\u2019s hard to do with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.semrush.com\/blog\/thin-content\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">thin content<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">E-E-A-T<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">E-E-A-T is Google&#8217;s acronym for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This is what Google looks for in our content, and it also illustrates their goals for the future methods of measurement they want to develop. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you don\u2019t get too caught up in the weeds and focus on demonstrating these principles (even in the more technical aspects of your approach), you will not only rank well now but continue to rank well even after aggressive algorithm updates that upend other strategies that dismiss this.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Location Page Anatomy<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are a lot of things you can do to vary this, but good locations pages should, at minimum, include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NAP Section<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A section for other locations<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">CTAs<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unique Content (approx. 40% or more)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">NAP Section<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a section on your page that looks like a listing with your name, address, phone, and a GBP map-embed. You can pull the embed code directly from Google Maps by clicking \u201cShare\u201d and selecting the \u201cEmbed a map\u201d tab.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123310 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-640x650.png\" alt=\"Embed A Map\" width=\"640\" height=\"650\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-295x300.png 295w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-1008x1024.png 1008w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-768x780.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-800x812.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-1024x1040.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-414x420.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-551x560.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-860x873.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-320x325.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-926x940.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-1200x1219.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-640x650.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-118x120.png 118w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-480x487.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-1095x1112.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-783x795.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-398x404.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-796x808.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-236x240.png 236w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-591x600.png 591w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-1103x1120.png 1103w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map-148x150.png 148w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Embed-a-map.png 1282w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Other Locations<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s best practice to have a section connecting this location page to others. Think of the customer journey here: If a decision maker isn\u2019t certain the location they\u2019re currently looking at is close enough for their purposes, you can catch them before they lose interest by taking them to another location page.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">CTAs<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When I was still selling, \u201calways be selling\u201d was my equivalent of the SEO mantra \u201cit depends.\u201d It was our catchphrase and calling card. This principle had nothing to do with being overbearing, obnoxious, or repetitive. Instead, it meant that we should keep the discussion on topic and prevent the conversation from wandering too far down the wrong path. The end goal was to help them make a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In SEO, we do this with calls to action (CTAs). Make sure you have multiple sections with some form of a call to action. It can be as simple as a link to a phone number or as eye-catching as a section specifically for form fills. Just make sure you\u2019re \u201calways selling.\u201d Just like the sales pitch, don\u2019t overdo it, but don\u2019t be timid about it either.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can get creative with it, too. There is no need to always be overly formal. After all, you are appealing to humans. Using a CTA like \u201cBook Appointment\u201d is fine, but shake it up once in a while with phrases like \u201cEvict Unwanted Pests,\u201d like the one shown below.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123311 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-640x225.png\" alt=\"Cta Example\" width=\"640\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-300x105.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1024x360.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-768x270.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1536x540.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-800x281.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1356x476.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-414x145.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-551x194.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-860x302.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-320x112.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-926x325.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1200x422.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-640x225.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-342x120.png 342w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-480x169.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1095x385.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-783x275.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-398x140.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1566x550.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-796x280.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-683x240.png 683w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-854x300.png 854w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-1594x560.png 1594w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example-427x150.png 427w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/CTA-example.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Unique Content<\/span><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having duplicate content on some pages is to be expected when building location pages. In theory, you should have multiple location pages, and it only makes sense that they\u2019d share things in common. But simply duplicating it without variation provides little value in the eyes of Google and the user.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Right now, the accepted best practice for unique content is about 40-60%. This is a general rule of thumb, and it definitely depends on the specific circumstance, but it is a fairly safe range to start with.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the easiest ways to keep things unique, and with a little less effort to boot, is to write some location-specific content. Done right, this creates some differentiation between your pages while also adding some additional localized relevance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-123312 size-post-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-640x297.png\" alt=\"Unique Content\" width=\"640\" height=\"297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-300x139.png 300w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1024x475.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-768x356.png 768w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1536x712.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-800x371.png 800w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1356x629.png 1356w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-414x192.png 414w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-551x256.png 551w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-860x399.png 860w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-320x148.png 320w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-926x429.png 926w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1200x557.png 1200w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-640x297.png 640w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-259x120.png 259w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-480x223.png 480w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1095x508.png 1095w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-783x363.png 783w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-398x185.png 398w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1566x726.png 1566w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-796x369.png 796w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-518x240.png 518w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-647x300.png 647w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1294x600.png 1294w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-1208x560.png 1208w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content-323x150.png 323w, https:\/\/www.brightlocal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Unique-content.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can do this in several different ways, but making it feel personalized like the example above is one of my favorite approaches because it helps conversions, not just rankings. Conversions are about people, and purchases are ultimately emotional decisions. Making your company feel more authentic and personable draws customers just a little further down the path to conversion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Local Link Building<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Link building is a cornerstone of SEO. In fact, links are what gave Google an edge over their competitors in the earlier days of search. Before links, search engines relied on basic keyword matching, which very often led to irrelevant results that weren&#8217;t authoritative. If you\u2019re curious about what that was like back in the day, give Bing a try (I\u2019m kidding of course&#8230; kinda).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Backlinks would act as votes of confidence from one website to another. PageRank, the algorithm they used to implement this, revolutionized search engines by analyzing the quantity and quality of backlinks to determine a website&#8217;s importance. The more high-quality backlinks a website had, the higher its PageRank score and the better its position in search results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s become much more complex than that in years since, but the function of linking remains important to SEO today. Like other aspects of SEO, how you approach it differs from vertical to vertical, city to city, circumstance to circumstance, etc. To make matters more confusing, it\u2019s a topic I\u2019ve seen debated amongst SEO\u2019s more than most topics in our industry. The best advice I can give is this: Focus on what the link is accomplishing and be cautious of shiny object syndrome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would focus on two main aspects:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What type of relevance are you lacking when you look at your rankings?<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How does the link you\u2019re building help a potential user who comes across this link?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whatever specific tactic you consider implementing, these guiding questions will help keep you from falling for shiny object syndrome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are some options to consider, along with some commonly accepted practices:<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Types of local link building:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Content Marketing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating high-quality, informative, and shareable content can naturally attract backlinks from other websites. In the pest control industry, this would be best accomplished via quality blogs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Guest Posting:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Contributing articles to other websites in your industry can establish you as an authority and earn valuable backlinks. This is one of the most common examples and is often viewed as Ol\u2019 Reliable.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Citations:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Consistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone number) information across various online directories is essential.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Community Involvement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Participate in local events, sponsor community initiatives, and build relationships. You should be able to ask them to get links to you on their sites.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Link-building best practices:<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Focus on quality over quantity:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Prioritize backlinks from reputable and relevant websites.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Diversify your link profile:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Build links from various sources to avoid penalties.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Monitor your link profile:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Regularly check for any toxic or spammy backlinks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Build relationships:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Networking with other local businesses can lead to valuable link-building opportunities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 600;\">Conclusion<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The path to a well-executed local SEO campaign is hardly a straightforward one. This guide we\u2019ve provided will get you pointed in the right direction. But you\u2019ll need to spend a generous amount of time developing your skills to really gain and maintain a competitive edge. There is a tremendous amount of complexity in SEO, and the frequency of algorithm updates seems to grow exponentially every year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The simplest course, which I would biasedly recommend, would be to hire a specialist. We dedicate all our time to testing, developing expertise, and staying at the head of the curve. That\u2019s the experience you want working for you, not your competitors. But if that\u2019s not the route you choose, I recommend dedicating regular amounts of time to research. Learn accepted best practices and stay up-to-date on the latest search engine algorithm updates. Spend time learning from the various specialists that are out there. Do this, and with time you can transform your pest control business from a local player to a dominant force in your market.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having a digital marketing strategy is already a given for most pest control companies. But we want to make sure you\u2019re including local SEO in your lineup and doing it the right way. Many business owners or SEO specialists new to the local side of search will often get tripped up when developing their understanding&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[27,22,25],"class_list":["post-177","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-learn","tag-google-business-profile","tag-learn","tag-local-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=177"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/177\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=177"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=177"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/freeoseocheck.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=177"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}